The Boy with a Heart of Gold is a coming-of-age story that incorporates several timely cultural themes in Latin America: the undemocratic forces that have enslaved communities for generations and the causative damage this corruption has on personal and social attitudes. The protagonist, Jonathan, is a kind and wise soul who intercedes to save a whale during her torturous capture by a brutal pack of pirates. His courage in confronting these brutes and his generosity in paying for her release are both endearing and transcendent.
Jaime Bedoya Martínez then poses the paradox of Jonathan's life: he is the son of a ruthless dictator, which provides him the boat and resources to facilitate the release of the whale. Regardless of his ties to an unethical father, Jonathan's courageous and virtuous act of interceding to help an unfortunate cetacean is both the result of an active consciousness and a "heart of gold." This is where the parable-like quality of the story commences.
Jaime Bedoya is renowned for his ability to create a moralistic and educational storyline fueled by his rich personal history. The writer knows the causality of generations of Latin American misgovernance on the character of its people. He clearly frames the altruism of Jonathan as rare in his corner of the world. But the nuance does not stop there. The mistreatment of animal life-a theme prevalent in his other books-is highly criticized. The question we cannot ask the author-but I believe we can rightly extrapolate his answer from this work-is what effect does physical, financial, and social exploitation have on a community. I believe Jaime would tell us that they are less likely to fight for their rights or the rights of those suffering; human or otherwise.
Jonathan's kindness and interest in the health of the seas (he aspires to be an oceanologist) is not forgotten. The whale (which he names the Blue Nymph) promised he would see her again. Their next meeting delivers Jonathan into a mystical trip to an underwater kingdom where he is exalted and rewarded for his salvation of the little whale. His life in this magical palace is extended to years of bliss because, according to Mr. Bedoya, life without greed and exploitation is without the heaviness of time.
When Jonathan returns to his homeland, he finds that everything in his life has changed. His father is deposed and in exile; his mother is broken by grief and remorse. Yet, another authoritarian government continues the exploitation of a weak and timid people. His life continues as before; he studies and graduates with a doctorate in Oceanology.
In a moment of sentimentality, he returns to the beach where the Blue Nymph met him and took him to the world of the underwater fairies. He gets on his boat and through a series of misfortunes (although he later finds it was preordained) he is transformed into a whale and travels back to that magical place.
It is then that he receives reassurances from the Fairy Queen that soon his people will be freed from the cycle of ignorance and carelessness. Jonathan has lived both a life of privilege and sacrifice, but the one salient aspect of his personality, his heart of gold, is responsible for a culture of gratitude for one's blessings-and the subsequent goodwill that it provokes. This tendency to gratefulness is posed as the key to the social health of a people and a world; it appears frequently in the works and actions of the wise and good. The writer insists that it is the best approach to life and after reading and pondering this work, I agree with him.